We haven’t even made it through week 1 of the Major League Baseball season, so I’m not advocating for registering a knee-jerk reaction for the players who have been hot during their first series of 2016.
But for those fantasy baseball owners who have these players on their roster, it’s been a good start to 2016.
Robinson Cano, 2B, Seattle
I was high on Cano in the offseason, so this doesn’t surprise me. Cano had a slow start to 2015, but picked it up toward the end of the season. He batted .251 in the first half of 2015. He closed the year batting .331, going for an above .300 average each month from July through September.
He’s kept that going in the first week this season. Cano is batting .308 and is second in Major League Baseball with seven RBIs and tied for first in homers with four. I expect this is the Cano that will prevail this season for fantasy owners. He was a steal with a pre-draft rating of 52nd overall.
If you don’t own him, but like him as much as I do, he might be worth a trade in your favor. I anticipate him to be a top-two option at second base, so keep that in mind when trying to steal him for your team.
Brian McCann, C, New York Yankees
McCann is hot, especially for a position that is void of much talent. It was pretty much Buster Posey or bust to start the season at the catcher position, but if McCann can at least keep up a solid pace in the runs category, he can produce some serious value.
McCann is second in Major League Baseball with five runs, one shy of the leaders with six. McCann has been able to get on base because of a stellar batting average of .455 with an on-base percentage of .583 in 11 at-bats.
Will that batting average continue to even be above .300? I doubt it. His career batting average is .268, so he sounds like a one-week wonder, instead of a new man.
McCann averages only 70 runs per 162-game season, which isn’t horrible, but not elite. Don’t expect his run production to stay high, but if he can get on base (he owns a career. 341 on-base percentage) the Yankees hitters are showing an ability to drive in runs.
Carlos Correa, SS, Houston
This shouldn’t surprise people who follow Major League Baseball. Correa is a young star ready to break out. This should be the year, and so far in week 1, he’s showing the ability to live up to the hype.
Correa already has three homers, a league-leading two stolen bases and four runs and RBIs apiece. He’s doing it while batting .385.
He’s a five-tool fantasy baseball player, making him invaluable to fantasy owners, especially in a position that doesn’t necessarily have the best options.
Watch for Correa to keep up this pace and be a force in every category this season for fantasy baseball owners.
